As purveyors of contemporary chamber music with a growing and increasingly adventurous audience, we are wholeheartedly committed to the creation and cultivation of new and diverse types of music. An essential part of this process is providing bridges and context for new listeners to discover and appreciate what could sometimes be considered "challenging" music. Context that we will attempt (<—key word) to provide through our 'Extra-curricular Listening' blog series.

We will provide some extracurricular listening (or watching) and some rabbit holes for LM followers to excavate and discover their own exciting but perhaps obscure corner of the music world. In preparation for the world premiere of Origami Harvest with Ambrose Akinsmusire, Kool A.D., Marcus Gilmore, Sam Harris and Mivos Quartet, Wednesday, Feb. 15 at Amsterdam Bar and Hall.

Ambrose Akinmusire: our basement

Ambrose’s latest release, the imagined savior is far easier to paint, is a genre-defying record which draws as much from classical music as it does from jazz and contemporary music. This track features vocalist Becca Stevens whose own improvisational ability allows for Ambrose to weave in and out of punctuated jabs and flowing accompaniment. The fluidity of the performers makes it difficult to determine what is composed material and what is the “magic” caused from the space in between.

Kool A.D.: Ok

This is a 100 track album with nearly 100 different artists featured throughout — variety is inevitable with that much of a cast. The album was released alongside Kool AD’s novel under the same title and the prolific nature of the content dropped in November of 2015 is an ode to his ability to produce quality material across a depth of mediums.

Woody Shaw: Time is Right

Amidst the heritage of trumpet players that shifted the paradigms of jazz, Woody Shaw is arguably the most important figure in not only the improvisational language used but also the technical facility on the instrument in the last few decades. This piece is not necessarily one showing his seemingly endless virtuosity, but captures a side of Woody as a composer and band leader which very much aligns with Ambrose.

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

Miles Davis was known for his constant experimentation with form, genre and instrumentation. Birth of the Cool, recorded in 1949, is an early example of Davis’ explorations. With an unusual nonet of trumpet, trombone, alto sax, baritone sax, French horn, tuba and rhythm section, Birth of the Coolfeatures unusual timbres, complex arrangements and counterpoint that were revolutionary to the sound of jazz.

Das Racist: Who's That brown

The Brooklyn-based trio, compiled of Kool A.D., Heems, and Ashok Kondabolu (Dap), were hilarious, insightful artsy dudes that put their energy into making powerful music that reflected their experience in America while always having production that pretty much anyone could dance to.